I'm A Wizard?
by GabTheHufflepuff
Summary: What happens when Lena, an American Muggle-born, gets her Hogwarts acceptance letter in the middle of the summer before she goes into 10th grade? Will her parents let her go? Will she be able to catch up? Will she have any friends? Read on to find out!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

"**Lena! Wake up! You can't just waste the day sleeping!" I groaned and rolled over in my bed. I didn't want to wakeup. It's summer time for crying out loud! However, I didn't wish to feel the wrath of my mother on this July day, so I got up.**

**I walked downstairs and into the kitchen, where my mother was already working. I looked at the clock hanging above the stove; it was only 11:00 AM! **

"**Hi, mom," I said groggily making my presence known.**

"**About time you got up! Eat something then come and help me clean up in here." I groaned tiredly again and went over to the buffet on the other side of the kitchen. Hmmm, which cereal would make up for this not-so-great morning? My choices were: Special K, Honey Nut Bunches of Oats (Almond), Miny Wheats, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. After a few moments of thinking, I decided Cinnamon Toast Crunch would be the best choice. I poured myself a bowl and sat down.**

**Now normally if I were home I'd be able to just sit upstairs in my room listening to my iPod and do my obnoxious amount of 10****th**** grade summer work all day, but because we are upstate in this old cottage house, my mom has made it her business to make sure that our whole family works to make it look brand new again, even me. To be honest I didn't mind being up here in the woods, it was the cleaning part that I hated. The house is so old and dusty! It's terrible! I can't even go five minutes without sneezing! **

**I looked down at my bowl and noticed that the amount of cereal had decreased significantly. I sighed. I wanted to put off cleaning for as long as I could. I stopped eating my cereal for a second and looked out the window. It was a really nice day out. Maybe I could sneak out later and go for a walk by the stream.**

"**Lena Audrey Elizabeth Smith are you even paying attention?" My mother shrieked. I stopped planning my escape and turned toward her smiling.**

"**No mother dearest, I'm sorry. Could you please repeat that again?" I asked in a sarcastic sweet voice.**

"**Don't you get fresh with me young lady!" She warned me. I knew she wasn't really threatening me though, my mom loves me too much. **

"**Go upstairs and get changed into some cleaning clothes. Maybe after we finish we could go to a mall or something?" She suggested.**

"**Mom. We are in the middle of a forest in freaking upstate New York! The closest thing these people have to a mall out here is a Walmart! But, I guess it'll have to do, right?" She just shrugged and said,**

"**Whatever you want to do, love."**

**I put my bowl in the sink and made my way back to my room. Okay so I know what you're thinking: Wow! These Americans talk weird! But in truth, we're not totally American. Well, at least I don't count us as totally American. My mom was raised by her British grandparents because her mother and father passed away when she was little in a terrible car accident. They were actually on their way to pick her up from her grandparent's house in New Jersey when they got hit by a drunk driver and smashed right into a telephone pole. The telephone pole then fell on top of the cars. There were no survivors. From then on, my grandparents moved back to Britain with my mom where she grew up. Then when her grandparents passed away she moved back to America, where she met my father. And, as they say: The rest is history.**

**I changed into an old pair of jean shorts, a faded tie-dyed t-shirt, and some hightop converse. After I finished brushing my teeth and combing out my humidified hair, I went back downstairs to join my mother in cleaning. **

**Before I even got started on the chores I was assigned, which were to clean up all of the counters and sweep up the floors, I made my way over to the radio on the ledge above the kitchen sink. However, before I could even get my hand over to the dial, the radio turned on to my favorite station. I paused, unable to speak. How the hell did that happen? I backed away from the radio and turned to look for the rag and surface cleaner that I would use to clean off the dusty counters. **

**I opened the cabinet that held all of the supplies and scanned it for what I was looking for. Finally my eyes caught sight of the rag and spray cleaner, but they were all the way in the back of the cabinet. And, since this place wasn't completely cleaned out, I didn't know what could be living back there. I contemplated getting my mom and telling her I couldn't find anything, but then she might yell at me again. I sighed, braced myself, and kept telling myself that there was nothing to worry about because nothing was living back there… hopefully…**

**Just as I put my into the cabinet, I saw with my own two eyes, the surface cleaner and rag fly into my outstretched hand. I gasped, "This is crazy!"**

"**What's crazy?" My mother asked walking in.**

"**N-Nothing," I replied.**

"**Well, why are you just sitting around? Get to work!"**

**I got up and began to clean. **

**Soon, I got into the cleaning mode and was just beginning to sweep the floor when I head a knock on the door. That's strange, I thought to myself. Why would anyone come to visit us up here?**

"**Just a second!" I heard my mother call as she rushed into the foyer. I heard a man's voice coming from the doorway. I tried to make sense of the conversation but I couldn't, even though their voices were actually quite loud. Stupid Lena, always listening to her iPod on the highest volume, I scolded myself. I hoped that it was just someone offering to take my dad and little brother fishing. Speaking of which, where the heck were they? They were only supposed to go to the hardware store to get some nails and stuff…**

"**Lena?" I heard my mom call me.**

"**What happened? Who was that?" I responded as I put down my broom and met her in the living room. She looked confused and concerned.**

"**Did you apply to any schools recently?"**

"**What? No! I just started high school! Why would apply to some other place?" I said.**

"**I don't know… Did any of your friends know you were up here?"**

"**Um, yes they do know why?"**

"**Do you think they would play a prank on you by sending you a letter saying you got accepted into another school?"**

"**No, I don't think they know this address. I didn't tell anyone our address. As a matter of fact, I don't even know our address up here," I replied still confused.**

"**Well, that was the mailman at the door and he said that he found this in his cart. He said he didn't know how it got into his cart, but he asked if you lived at this address. And of course I said I was you because God knows who he was, and then he handed me this letter and left." I stood there totally confused by what just happened. Finally, I found my voice.**

"**But, we just got the house. We're not supposed to be getting any mail yet until, like, next week, right? Who's the letter from?"**

"**It's from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."**

"**What?" I shrieked. "Like Hogwarts as in Harry Potter? How? I thought it didn't exist!" I was terrified, shocked, and actually happy. It explained why so many weird things were happening to me. I felt very relieved.**

"**Can I open it please?" I asked my mom.**

"**Well… if you must," she replied handing me the letter reluctantly.**

**I took the letter and stared at the front. It looked just like the ones from the Harry Potter movies. It read:**

** Ms. L Audrey Elizabeth Smith**

** The Bedroom at the end of the Hall**

** 34 Cottage **

** Upstate**

** New York**

**My hands trembled as I opened the parchment envelope. There was a letter inside. I opened the letter and it read:**

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WHITCHCRAFT **

**and WIZARDRY**

**Dear Ms. Smith,**

**We have been watching your talent progress throughout the years, but were reluctant to contact you because, besides being Muggle-born, you are a citizen of the Unites States of America. However, we have noticed that your powers are beginning to show more and more each day and you do not know how to control them. We also did some research on your family history and see that you do indeed have magic in your bloodline. Enclosed is a list of all of the books and things you will need for this semester. We have modified the fifth year curriculum for you so there is no need to worry about not knowing basic magic. We hope to hear your reply soon! You may send your reply back anyway you choose whether by owl or Muggle post.**

**Most Sincerely,**

**Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, and the Ministry of Magic**

"**Mom, what do I do?" I said as I finished reading.**

"**Wait until your father gets home. We'll talk about this later." With that she walked away seeming to be lost in thought. I held the letter excitedly and re-read the letter over again. Suddenly, I got an idea.**

"**MOM! I'M GOING INTO TOWN OKAY?" I announced as I grabbed my key to the cottage. **

"**BE BACK SOON! OH AND IF YOU SEE YOUR FATHER AND BROTHER TELL THEM WE ALL NEED TO TALK SOON!" **

"**OKAY! LOVE YOU! BYE!" I walked out the door and locked it behind me. Then I remembered that I had forgotten something very critical inside the house: money. My goal was to go out and buy all of the Harry Potter book series. I mean, reading those would definitely help, right? I went back inside and ran upstairs to get my stash. Finally after I was sure I had gotten everything, I got on my mountain bike and pedaled away as fast as I could. I couldn't wait to start reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

I stopped to catch my breath before I walked into the dusty bookshop on the corner. _I hope they have the series_, I thought to myself.

"Can I help you?" I heard a voice ask from behind me. I jumped and turned around to see a hunched over old woman waiting for my reply.

"U-Um yes," I replied, "I was wondering if you had the Harry Potter series anywhere in the store?" The lady seemed to pause in thought before she answered.

"Yes, I have a whole bookshelf full. Follow me please," the lady said leading the way to the back of the shop.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, we got to the shelves in the back of the room. Suddenly, the lady stopped walking and I almost ran into her. I waited for her to say something, but all she did was point. I'm pretty sure my mouth feel open as I stared at all of the different copies of each book and every spin off created.

"Please don't mess up the shelves. It took me a long time to get them this way."

"Okay ma'am, I won't. Thank you." With that she shuffled away.

I grabbed the first book, _Harry Potter and the Sourcerer's Stone_, off the shelf. I turned the book over for the price.

"$15.00!" I said in disbelief. As I continued to flip over the books each was around that price ranging from $15.00-$20.00. After I had piled up all seven books plus _Quidditch Throughout The Ages,_ _Magical Beasts and Where to Find them, _and_ The Tales of Beedle The Bard, _I made my way to the front and plopped them all on the counter.

"Someone's doing a bit of summer reading eh?" I heard the old woman laugh.

"Yes," I replied laughing a bit myself.

"What's with the sudden interest?"

"Well, it's kind of unexplainable… ," I said trying to reason out whether I should tell this old lady or not.

"Try me. Trust me honey, I've heard very strange things before." I decided it was best not to tell anyone about this yet so I said something that was sort of true:

"Well, I just felt this calling. Because I've never read the series before and I wanted to accomplish something this summer other than saying I finished all of my summer work, you know?"

"Ah yes, you are one of those people who like to achieve! In the books you've got there, there are things called Houses and every person gets sorted into one depending on what type of person they are. I think you'd be a Ravenclaw!" As I processed this information, I realized that this was all real. What if Ravenclaw was where all of the stupid people went? I thanked the lady about a hundred times for letting me go out with all of the books a few dollars short, and secured all of the books in the basket on the back of my bike.

Just as I was about to take the trail that lead up to the cottage, I saw my brother and father walking down the trail with shopping bags full of supplies. I turned and pedaled over to them.

"Father, James, where have you two been? Me and mom-"

"You mean your mom and you," my dad corrected me. I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, mother and I have been wondering where you two have been! How long does it take to get to the hardware store and come back?" I looked at them expectantly waiting for a reply.

"Well… ," James began. I followed his gaze to the chocolate stain on his t-shirt and looked at my dad like _really-you-went-for-ice-cream-without-me?_ And he just shrugged and said,

"We were having some bonding time away from the house- don't say you didn't offer to go to the store to buy whatever that is in your basket just to get away." Suddenly I gasped and remembered that we had to have a talk about my letter.

"Dad! We have to get home now! I got a letter in the mail and we have to talk about it now okay? Please hurry home! I'll meet you there, okay? Hurry!" I said as I pedaled back towards the trail.

"MOM! FATHER AND JAMES ARE WALKING UP THE TRAIL NOW OKAY? THEY ARE ALMOST HERE! REMEMBER WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT MY LETTER?" I asked as I stepped through the door.

I hung my key back on its ring and ran upstairs with the pile of books I bought. I sat down on my bed with the first book in hand. As I continued to read I realized that I had missed out on reading so many good books! I never thought I would enjoy reading books, especially those as big as the Harry Potter books, but now I realized that it was just another way to escape from everyday life and become part of another world.

By the time dad and James got back, I was halfway through the second chapter; that's how good the book was. I folded the corner of my page and ran downstairs with my letter in hand.

"It's about time you two got back!" my mother said.

"Sorry hun', we got carried away down there," my dad replied kissing her on the cheek as a greeting.

"Dad, Mom, can we please talk about this now?" I asked holding up the letter.

"What's this about a letter?" My dad said sounding confused.

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough," my mother said leading us into the dining room.

We all sat down around the table. My mother gestured for me to start. After I finished saying everything my mom looked at my dad and he said,

"If this is who she really is, and this is what she wants to be, then I'd say let her go. It'll only get worse if she doesn't know how to control her powers."

"You mean to tell me that you aren't even slightly disturbed by this news?" My mom asked disbelievingly.

"No, I think I remember hearing something about a weird uncle of mine who was said to have powers of some sort, so maybe it's hereditary?" he said. I smiled at my dad. _At least someone approves of me being a wizard. Wait, _am_ I a wizard? Or am I a witch? I'm pretty sure I'm a witch._ _Oh well, I'll find out later_.

"So, can I go?" I asked.

"Are you sure you want to go? How do we know you'll be safe in Europe?" My mother asked seeming flabbergasted.

"Yes, Mom, I'm sure. And, I'll always be able to send you a message by owl or something! O-or I could just bring my laptop and send you an e-mail," I added quickly seeing my mothers face turn pale as I said "owl".

"Like I said, if you really want to go, then by all means I'm for it," my dad said smiling again. "It's all up to your mother of course," he added. We all turned to her, waiting for her response.

"Well, if you really want to then I guess so-"

"Ohmigosh Mom thank you sooooooo much!" I screamed in excitement. I got up and hugged her.

"Don't think because you don't have to do your other school work it doesn't mean that you are going to be helping out less around the house," she said.

"But I do have homework, mother. I have to read the whole Harry Potter series and the three extra books I bought by the end of July, which is only a week away! I have to go to Europe by August so that I can get familiar with Britain and everything, and you know that," I responded. I stood there still hugging her waiting for her response.

"Fine," she sighed somewhat exasperatingly. I squealed in excitement again.

"But, we're not telling anyone about this okay? If anyone asks me where you went I'm telling them that you're studying abroad in a special program," she said.

"Okay."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Get upstairs and read those books! I better not see you doing anything else!" She warned as I ran back upstairs. I felt like I was on top of the world, and no one could stop me. _I think magic's the best thing that ever happened to me._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

***Fast-forward to end of July***

"Lena! You better hurry up! We have to get you into New Jersey to get to the airport!"

"Okay Mom! I'm coming; I'm just trying to make sure I have everything!" I yelled down the stairs.

"Well, hurry up! We only have two hours to get you there!"

"Okay, I'm here I just have to bring down one more bag!" I said as I ran back up the steps to get the last bag. It was so hard to get everything I needed into a couple of bags. On top of that, I hadn't even gotten all of my magical things yet; those had to be bought in Europe.

"Alright, is everyone ready to go?" my Dad asked walking into the foyer where Mom and I were standing.

"Yup."

"Alright let's go! James, take that bag for your sister," my dad said taking my biggest suitcase for me.

"Ugh. Why doesn't Lena carry her own stuff? She's already getting everything else she wants! She's been getting all of the attention lately and no one even cares about me anymore!"

_Smack_! "JAMES TIMOTHY SMITH YOU TAKE THAT BACK _RIGHT_ NOW!" Both of my parents shouted in unison. Inwardly, I was chuckling at my brother's punishment, but I stayed emotionally neutral on the outside for fear I would get smacked by my mother myself.

"I'll take it James it's okay. I'm sorry about everything," I said as I stepped forward and took the bag from him. I really did feel genuinely sorry.

"When I leave you'll get all of the attention, I know you will," I added. "Just two more hours buddy and then I'll be out of your hair," I said while giving him a nuggie. He swatted my hand out of the way and smiled.

"I'm sorry too."

"Alright, alright let's go," my mother said shoving us into the back of the car.

***Fast-forward to airport***

"Alright honey, everything seems to be all set up! Let's get a seat by the gate," my dad says putting a hand on my shoulder. I nodded as butterflies entered my stomach. I was actually really nervous. This would be my first time on a plane without my family. Actually, it was my first time being outside of the United States in general. Mother never took us to see her hometown…

"Lena, you remember that if you have any trouble at all you call your mother or me and we will be over there in a flash."

I nodded and sat down. James sat on my right, my mother on the left. Just as I was thinking about what would happen if the school wasn't real and this was all just a big joke I felt a tap on my arm. I snapped out of my gaze and looked over at my brother. He smiled at me encouragingly and said,

"You'll be okay." I smiled back and gave him a hug.

"Thanks for being the best brother ever."

"No problem," he replied in a cocky tone. I ruffled his hair again for good measure and then went back to thinking about Hogwarts. I had successfully read all seven books plus the few extra I bought all in the course of that short July week. I felt like I knew enough to get by if someone asked me about anything magical when I got to Diagon Alley.

"Gate 23A, London, England departing in 10 minutes," a female voice said over the loud speaker.

"Should I get on now?" I asked my mother.

"If you want to," she replied.

"Maybe I'll wait a few more minutes," I said as more butterflies flew around my stomach.

It wasn't long before there were only 5 minutes left until the gate would be closed.

"Honey, you should get on now," my dad said. I nodded and stood up.

"I'll miss you guys so much," I confessed as I gave them all hugs.

"We'll miss you too love," my mother said smiling.

"I'll send you guys a message when I land okay?"

"Alright. Be safe," my dad said kissing my forehead. My mother did the same. After a final round of hugs I handed the lady my boarding pass and began to walk down the tunnel that lead to the plane. I looked back one last time to see my family standing there waving me goodbye. I waved and boarded the plane.

I found my seat in the middle class section. It was by the window. I could see part of the airport from here. I watched all of the people walk back and forth past the big windows looking out onto the take off/ landing area. Suddenly, I saw my brother run out to the window to look at the planes and, somehow, as if he knew where I was, waved right at me. Even though I knew he couldn't see me I waved back anyway. I didn't realize the plane was now mostly full, and that the two seats next to me had now been occupied. I felt my heart fill with pain. I didn't want to leave my family and friends behind. They were my whole life up until now. I closed the shade on the window halfway and took out my iPod. I set it to Airplane Mode and put on Green Day. They were one of my favorite bands along with My Chemical Romance, Blink – 182, etc.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking," said a young, lively, British male voice. "We are going to start making our way towards the run way, so I kindly ask you to shut off all electronic devices for just a moment until we take off. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated." _Click._ End of captains speech.

As we moved farther and farther down the runway, my heart sank even faster. _Do I _really _want this?_ I felt tears come to my eyes. I did nothing to hold them back. I silently endured the take off and stayed in my seat for almost half the ride, getting up only once. I think both the two passengers sitting next to me, both a business man and woman, and the flight attendant noticed my sadness, and tried their best to help me out in anyway they could. I silently thanked them for understanding, hoping they would receive my thanks.

_6 more hours left, Lena. Pull yourself together! You're going to _Europe_! You've always wanted to go there! You're a witch! You're going to get a wand and robes! You're going to _Hogwarts_! Cheer up, it can't be too bad!_ The little voice inside my head encouraged me. I took it's advice and began to look over the notes I had taken while I was reading the _Harry Potter _series. Before I knew it I had drifted off to sleep, and when I woke up, we had just landed.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

_Wow. Just Wow. I'm in Europe!_ I said to myself trying to hold back my squeals of delight. I realized how foreign I looked as I passed by a reflective window. I had to get to the Leaky Cauldron, and if my calculations were correct it should be right around the corner. At first, I didn't see it, but then I realized I was being such a Muggle. I took a deep breath and scanned the storefronts slowly and _then_ I saw it. I walked in the door and everyone stopped talking and turned to look at me.

"It's the girl from America!" I heard a witch whisper to her friend.

"Is that what she really looks like?" I heard someone say. I kept walking until I got to the front of the bar.

"Umm… Excuse me? Sir?" I said trying to catch the bar tender's attention. He was turned around fixing someone else's drink.

"What'll you have?" He said turning around. He stopped and said, "You're the girl in the paper. You've finally gotten America into Hogwarts. Congrats! I'm just letting you know, I'm not giving you not one thing with alcohol in it if that's what you're looking for." I felt my cheeks grow red with embarrassment and anger.

"Thank you and _no_, I'm _not_ here for a _drink_. I want to get into Diagon Alley, could you tell me where I have to go?" I said trying to make myself seem serious. The man chuckled at me and the rest of the bar snickered.

"Sure, I'll show you. Although, you should know how to do this if you've read the books," he said stepping out from behind the counter. "Right this way, Miss. America," he said getting another round of laughter from the drunken crowd. He lead me to a side door then out into a court yard that was surrounded by a brick wall. He took out his wand and turned to me. I stumbled back a bit. _He could easily bewitch me right now if he really wanted to_, I thought to myself. He laughed again.

"I'm just showin' ya' how to get into Diagon Alley once you have your wand."

"Okay."

"So what you do is, you count three bricks up and then two across and then tap this one then-" the man didn't have to finish his sentence. The wall immediately started to re-arrange itself. When it was done there was a perfect archway leading to a road filled with witches and wizards enjoying the last month of summer.

"Thank you," I said to the man curtly before walking out past the archway. Immediately I began to take in all of the sights. It looked nothing like the Diagon Alley in the movies. It looked better! I almost forgot that I needed to get to Gringotts so that I could pay to get a room for the rest of the summer.

To my great relief, no one else noticed me or paid me any attention as I made my way down the Alley. Finally, I reached Gringotts. I stepped inside and the cool air felt good on my skin. The place was empty except for the Goblins behind the desks. I took a deep breath and stepped forward to the nearest Goblin.

"Um, excuse me?" I asked tentatively. The Goblin looked up and the look on its face was absolutely horrible! It was somewhere between a grimace and a smile.

"Ah, the American girl!" It smiled nastily. "What can I assist you in today?"

"I-I would like to c-convert some money- if it's n-not too much of a bother," I stuttered.

"How much do you wish to convert?" he asked.

"All of this please," I said unzipping my bag and heaving a sack full of money onto the counter. I had about $1,000 in cash from my parents, $200 from what was left of my stash, and $40 in nickels, dimes, quarters, and pennies. I saw the Goblin's eyes go wide, then return to their normal beady shape.

"This will require more work than I thought. You don't plan on taking all of your money in that sack with you to Hogwarts do you?"

"Well, now that you put it that way, no," I replied. The Goblin sighed and said,

"While I convert this, I suggest you go and register for a vault." I nodded, picked up my two other bags, which held all of my things, and walked over to another Goblin.

"Excuse me?"

"I have ears just like you, Muggle. I heard your conversation. Fill out this form," he said passing me a rather thick roll of parchment, a large quill, and a bottle of ink, "and when you're done with that everything should be in order."

"Okay, thank you," I said. I didn't know where to sit, so I just sat down on the floor and spread out all of the papers. _Writing with a quill is not as easy as it looks_, I said to myself. Finally, after what seemed like forever, I finished the last page of the form and stood up.

"I'll take you to your vault," the Goblin said. I nodded and took my things with me.

The ride down was speedy and freezing, but I survived. The Goblin took out a key and walked toward a vault numbered 2398745. _We must be really far underground,_ I said to myself as a draft passed us by. I shivered and walked forward towards the Goblin.

"I suggest you write your vault number down somewhere. You're bound to forget it," he said in a snobby voice. I nodded and took out a pen from my bag and wrote the number down on my hand. The Goblin turned the key and opened the door. It wasn't much, but there was still a good amount of coins in my vault. I took five of each type of coin and pocketed the money. Suddenly, I realized that I had to buy all of my schoolbooks and robes tomorrow, and I didn't feel like coming back here two days in a row. I turned to the Goblin,

"How much should I take out if I plan on buying school supplies tomorrow?"

"A lot more than that," I snickered. I turned around before rolling my eyes at the Goblin's rude reply. I took out the coins I had in my pocket and took a handful of each type of coin. I turned around to show the Goblin.

"Whatever you think will be enough," he snickered again. I nodded, put everything into my bag, and zipped it up.

**Fast-Forward to after she leaves Gringotts

The warm August air felt good on my freezing skin. It was around dinner time for me and I was starving. I went in to the nearest diner-looking place and sat down. I ordered a meal that seemed somewhat normal and ate it. I got up to pay and as the witch was giving me my change I asked,

"Do you know where I can stay for the night? I need some rest."

"We have an inn right above us! Would you like to stay here?" She asked.

"Well, I'm not from around here and I need a place to stay for more than one night," I said.

"That's not a problem! We have a vacation special! Only 9 Galleons for a week!"

"Um, I'm not just going to be here for a week…"

"How long then?"

"Umm until school starts..." The lady gasped as if suddenly putting two and two together.

"You're the girl from America! That's why you want to go to bed at this hour! Oh, lovey, it's not a problem! You can just help me down here in exchange for a room!"

"Really? Thank you so, so, so, so much!" I said yawning.

"Not a problem, dear. Let's get these upstairs," she said flicking her wand. Instantly, all of my bags were floating and following the lady up the stairs. I followed and thanked the lady one more time for collapsing onto the bed. _Jet lag is not fun,_ I said to myself as I drifted off to sleep thinking about all of the new things I would learn and see this year.

Author's Note: Hello everyone! I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who's read my story so far! I'm not going to have too much time to keep updating, so I tried to make this one a little more interesting. Please review and subscribe if you wish! Thanks again! - Gab


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I learned so much while working at Ms. Katrina's "diner". It was unbelievable how much I didn't know! I feel even more prepared now than I did then! I learned some of the latest trends and facts! Like, most people in my age group have names or middle names associated with stars and the new fashion trend is to wear a dragon hide pouch attached to your belt or robes!

I was also grateful to Ms. Katrina for giving me a different haircut so that people wouldn't recognize me from the paper as much. So, instead of having long hair I now had a layered, shorter style. How the _Daily Prophet_ got a picture of me with long hair while I was in America, I have no clue. Ms. Katrina got me an old copy of the Prophet so I could cut the article out and keep it in my trunk and show it to my family later! There is so much more to tell you guys about, but right now I'm getting ready to leave for Kings Cross Station so it will have to wait until later!

*Fast Forward*

I was so nervous about going through the barrier that I almost missed the train just trying to psyche myself up. All of the compartments around me were taken. Some students had already changed into their school robes. I saw an older student with a badge walking down the same side of the train as me. I figured he would be able to tell me where I could sit.

"Um, excuse me?" I said my voice still sounding slightly American.

"What? Oh hello. What's up?" he replied smiling politely at me.

"Well… I have no clue where to go."

"Oh, okay," he laughed. He had a white smile and messy black hair. "This is the prefect car, so if you turn around I'll bring you over to where my brother and sister and their friends are. They won't mind you sitting with them."

"Okay, thanks," I smiled.

"So, what's your name?" he asked trying to make conversation as we traveled down the long corridors of the train.

"Lena."

"Lena? He asked sounding confused. "What year?"

"Fifth," I replied.

"What house?" I gulped. I really didn't want to give away my identity, but it had to happen eventually, right?

"I-I don't know." The boy stopped short.

"You're the girl from America?" he asked. I felt my cheeks grow red.

"Yes."

"I knew it!" he exclaimed smiling at me. "My name's James."

"Nice to meet you," I smiled solemnly thinking of my brother James.

"Have you met anyone else yet?"

"No, you would be the first."

"Awesome! My brother and sister are going to enjoy meeting you! I think Albus is in the same grade as you. You said you are going into fifth year right?"

"Yes."

"Yeah! You two are the same age! I can't wait to tell him!" he laughed.

"Um… Isn't Albus the name of the headmaster?" I asked confused.

"Oh! Yeah, my parents named him after Dumbledore."

"That's cool. In the Muggle books, Harry Potter and Ginny name one of their kids Albus in the Epilogue!"

"Funny you should mention them…" James said not finishing his sentence as he pulled back the door to a compartment. Immediately all of the talking stopped.

For a moment we kind of all just stared at eachother but then, a girl who looked a lot like a another boy in the compartment spoke up and said,

"You're the girl from America," she sounded totally confident in her observation.

"Yes, I am," I smiled nervously. This girl seemed extremely smart, and it scared me.

"You guys wouldn't mind if she sat with you, _right_?" James said looking at Rose sharply.

"No, of course not! Come in and have a seat. You can sit next to Albus." She said pointing to a boy across from her who also had messy black hair. I saw him blush slightly as everyone's eyes fell on him.

"**Albus**, make our new friend _welcome_ here! Talk to her!" James said in a teasing voice.

"Oh stop it, James! I'll tell your mother you've been bullying Albus again," Rose said sticking up for her friend. I saw James turn a slightly paler shade before nodding goodbye and closing the compartment door.

The moment that followed was awkward. We kind of all just stared at eachother again.

"Let me introduce you to everyone," Rose said breaking the tension.

"Obviously, I'm Rose and that's Albus," she said holding out her hand. I shook it and turned to Albus and shook his hand as well.

"Over there is Lily and Hugo. Lily's Albus and James's sister, and Hugo is my brother." They both waved.

"I can see the resemblance!" I told them.

"And lastly, we have Chara, Mira, Electra, Chase, and Connor." They all waved at me and I smiled back.

"Thank you for letting me sit with you guys. It means a lot to me."

"It's nothing," Rose said courtly. Somehow I felt like she wasn't too keen on me being here.

"So... what Houses are you guys in?"

"We have all four Houses here," Rose replied.

"Oh! That's so cool! Who's in what?"

"Hugo, Lily, Mira, and I are in Gryffindor; Chara, and Chase are in Hufflepuff; Connor and Electra are in Ravenclaw; and Albus is in Slytherin."

"Wow that is awesome!" I was amazed. My brain was buzzing with excitement as I wondered what house I would be sorted into.

"You wouldn't mind if I asked you guys more questions, right?"

"No, ask away."

And so I began to ask questions about everything. I was just dying to know everything about Hogwarts and the people that went to it!

"So are you guys pure-blood or, um.. .what's the term again?" I blushed.

"Muggle-born?" Rose said.

"Yes, yes that's what I meant."

"Albus, Hugo, James, Lily, and I are all half-blood."

"They said I had a little bit of magic in my blood. I guess it's from my mom's side. She's British," I explained.

"Maybe you would find out who when we get to Hogwarts?" Rose suggested.

"That's a great idea! But," my excitement faded, "I'm probably going to be loaded down with school work. I mean, I'm new to all of this. I'm probably not going to be any good at anything-"

"Albus and I could help you," Rose said. My jaw dropped. I looked over to Albus and he nodded and smiled the tiniest bit.

"Really? You really want to help me?"

"Yes, of course."

"Thank you so, so, so much! You have no idea how grateful I am!"

"It's nothing."

We continued to talk like that for the rest of the train ride. Rose seemed to warm up to me quite a bit and Albus seemed to relax more. I even had a conversation with a few of the others. I finally felt like I belonged somewhere. Even though in America I had friends, I always felt like there was a barrier stopping me from being myself. Here I was understood, welcomed, and liked for who I was. There was no need to hide anything because everyone was like me. Suddenly the train stopped.

Rose peered out the window and smiled. I got up and followed her to the window. Immediately butterflies came to my stomach.

"We're here."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

I stepped out onto the platform and froze. This was really happening. I was really going to be sorted into a House and I was really going to be doing magic. I felt someone tap my shoulder. I turned to see Rose point to the "horse-less" carriage in front of us. I nodded and walked toward it. I could have swore I heard one of those invisible horses breathe as I sat down, but I decided not to say anything.

As soon as Albus and Rose climbed in the carriage immediately took off. My stomach lurched with every bump we hit.

"Are you okay, Lena?" Rose asked.

"Just a little nervous," I told her.

"You look like you're going to faint."

"I might," I laughed solemnly.

"I know you're nervous about being sorted," Albus said, "but trust me when I say that it's not as bad as it seems."

"Okay," I smiled. I sat back and tried to take in the scene of the approaching twilight. The forest was so beautiful…

My thoughts were cut off by the sudden lurch of the carriage. I looked up and felt my mouth go slack. The castle was absolutely breath taking. It was larger than life and to be honest, I didn't know what I expected it to look like but it was definitely not like this.

Albus got out first and then helped Rose and I down. As he took my hand I felt my heart skip a beat. He smiled reassuringly at me and closed the carriage door behind me.

"When are they going to sort me?" I asked.

"I don't know," Rose replied.

"We've never had an older exchange student come here before," Albus added.

"Oh." My stomach continued to flip as we walked into the main entrance.

Just as we were about to walk into the Great Hall, I felt a hand pull me over to the side and away from Rose and Albus. I don't even think they realized I had gotten separated from them. I turned my gaze to the person who pulled me away. It was Professor McGonagall. Once again, I was speechless. I still couldn't get over the fact that this was really happening. I still thought I was on a movie set.

"Are you Ms. Smith?"

"Yes," I replied.

"Come with me." She began to walk to another set of steps leading to what I'm presuming was the dungeons. She didn't go down the stairs though; instead, she motioned for someone to come up the steps. Five seconds later, a group of little kids appeared before my eyes. I towered over them. All they could do was gape at me and look around the foyer nervously.

Without a sound, we walked around the entrance to the Great Hall and down a side corridor. I'm guessing this put us more towards the front of the room.

"First years! You are going to be sorted **first**! Once your house has been determined, you will have a seat and **stay** seated until further notice." She turned and pulled me aside.

"You are going to be sorted last."

"What?" I gulped.

"Yes, I know it's nerve wrecking, but we can't just sort you ahead of all of the First Years, it's not standard procedure."

"Yes, I understand," I replied shakily. She smiled at me somewhat pathetically and walked over to reprimand some of the First Years.

Suddenly, the side doors burst open on their own. Professor McGonagall led the First Years out into the Great Hall. Just as the last boy in line stepped out I began to follow but stopped when Professor shot me a glance. I stepped back and stayed in the shadow of the doorframe.

I saw the true connection between a person's natural character and their House. The kids who walked up proudly to the stool and placed the hat on themselves were sorted into Gryffindor, the kids who seemed nervous but somewhat confident got put into Ravenclaw, the kids who snickered at the others were put into Slytherin, and the kids who seemed quiet were put in Hufflepuff.

When everyone had taken his or her seats, I saw an old man stand up and walk to the podium. It was Dumbledore, Albus_** Dumbledore**_.

"As most of you may know," he began, "there is a new student coming to join us from a far away place." Whispers began to float around the Hall.

"Her name is Lena Smith and she has been able to conceal her powers from being known to Muggles for 15 years." There were many impressed nods of approval.

"However, one can only hold back so much, and when the Ministry of Magic saw that her powers were becoming more and more evident, they realized that there was only one more option: to send her to school.

Today, she must be sorted into a House. Which one she will be placed in, none of us know. However," his voice took on a tone of warning, "if there is to be any discrimination of any sort, punishments will be delivered." The Hall went completely silent.

"So, without further adieu, I would like to ask Ms. Smith to step forward." He turned and held his arm out to the doorway where I was standing. My insides froze and my bladder was telling me to rush to the bathroom as quick as I could. The whole Hall was waiting on the edge of their seats. I took a deep breath, tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear, and stepped out.

Whispers began to erupt immediately and I felt my ears turn red. I didn't look at anything except for the stool in which I would have to sit. After what seemed like forever, I made it to the stool. I made sure to tuck in my robes in before I sat down.

I looked at Professor McGonagall, and she nodded and placed the hat on my head.

I felt uneasy, this thing could read my every thought…

"Well, well, well. Not from around here are you? Hmm very interesting… You have tons of potential, but where to put you? You have wit, bravery, slyness, and what's this I see? Loyalty, and lots of it-"

'Oh God, _Hufflepuff_? Who's awesome that came from _Hufflepuff_? **No.** **One**...'

"Some could say the same about Slytherin as well but we all know that's not entirely true… "

My eyes darted over to the Slytherin table where I knew Albus was sitting.

"Ah young love, such a blessing and a curse!"

I felt my face turn a deeper shade of red.

"Never the less, I know just where to put you. Better be: HUFFLEPUFF!"

There was a round of applause and cheering coming from the table next to Gryffindor. I walked over to the table and sat down on the edge of the table, where people were still clapping and smiling at me. I tried my best to return their warm welcome, but I couldn't help but sulk. Hufflepuff, that's where the wimps went. I am **not** a wimp…

"A toast to our new student!" Professor Dumbledore said raising his goblet. The rest of the Hall did the same and I smiled in return.

Almost immediately afterward, tons of food appeared on the table before us and I couldn't believe my eyes. Some of the older students laughed at my reaction. It wasn't harsh laughter, but the kind of laughter that adults use that makes you seem all young and naïve. I shrug it off and take American-sized portions of everything. People probably thought I was insane, but I didn't care. I just wanted to get to bed and e-mail my mom.

I tried to look for Albus and Rose, but I couldn't see a thing.

"Congratulations," a voice says from beside me. I turned to see Chara sitting there smiling at me.

"Thanks," I replied trying to sound happy.

"I know how you feel. Being sorted into Hufflepuff isn't exactly a Hogwarts student's dream, but you learn to like it…"

I searched for a reply, but nothing came to me. Chara had said it all…


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

I turned over on my side and felt the heat of the sun on my eyelids. I sat up and looked around. _What time is it?_ I looked around for my alarm clock, but could not find it. I swung my legs over and felt a bare stone floor beneath feet.

"Shit that's cold!" I exclaimed.

Suddenly, I remembered where I really was. _I am a witch, I'm at Hogwarts, it's the first day of school, and I'm a _Hufflepuff_... _I sighed and looked at all of the other four post beds with their curtains drawn shut. I must be the first one up.

I went to my trunk, pulled out all of the things I would need for today, and walked over to the door that I presumed lead to the bathroom. I pushed the heavy door open and felt my jaw drop. The bathroom was humongous! Not to mention that everything was extremely well decorated. I walked past the long row of sinks and found an isle of showers. I put my stuff down and stepped inside. The hot water was very relaxing and I almost forgot where I was until I heard the bathroom door swing open and a bunch of voices echo off the walls. _Guess it's time to get out_… I shut off the shower and changed as quickly as I could.

My hair and teeth were unfortunately still unbrushed. I turned the corner and all of the talking stopped. I put down my things on the ledge of the sink and just did my thing. Once my teeth were brushed and my hair pulled back into a simple braid I walked out and got my bag, which conveniently had my schedule in it already, and went downstairs to the Great Hall.

I pushed open the door and saw that the Hall was practically empty. I went over to the Hufflepuff table and sat by myself. I poured myself some orange juice and took out my schedule. I had Asronomy, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, History of Magic, Potions, Transfiguration, Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, and Care of Magical Creatures. _Oh boy_.

As I continued to look down the schedule I saw I had Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Arithmancy with the Slytherines. I raised my eyes to see if Albus was there but he wasn't. Instead, a handsome blonde haired boy was sitting there with two dopy looking guys on either side of him. Suddenly he looked up and it was too late for me to look away and pretend I wasn't staring. His stare was so intense that I had to break the connection between our eyes. I knew my cheeks were flaming red and I felt like such a wimp. _Maybe I do belong in Hufflepuff afterall, _I thought to myself.

More people spilled into the hall, breaking the uneasy tension in the air. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Rose, Hugo, Lily, and Mira walk through the door with a bunch of other Gryffindors. I saw how content and comfortable they looked, and immediately envied them. They've always known what they were, always had friends who understood, most likely had perfect parents, and they've been at this school for ages. Here I am struggling to find where my classrooms are with no real friends by my side, and for God's sake I can't even meet the gaze of a boy from Slytherin.

I didn't bother trying to say hello. I just kept my head down and took out one of my textbooks and tried to read it. It all looked like Gibberish. I sighed and closed the book in defeat. I saw Chara walk in and to my surprise she came and sat down next to me.

"Morning," she said taking a slice of toast and tea.

"Morning," I replied as happily as I could.

"Having a rough morning?" _It's like she can read my thoughts…_

"Yeah, I guess it's the jet lag…"

"Mhm," she replied taking a bite of her toast.

"Can I introduce you to some of my friends?" She asked me.

"Sure," I replied.

"You've already met Chase, but that's Agena, Robert, Maia, and Alex."

"Hello," I smiled.

"Nice to meet you!"

"Good morning!"

"Welcome."

"Hullo."

From then on we made small talk and 15 minutes later, as if by magic (no pun intended), everyone knew that it was time for classes to start soon. I looked at my schedule and saw I had Charms with the Gryffindors first. As we were walking towards the doors of the Hall Chara turned to me.

"Just stay with us, we'll show you the way."

I nodded and followed, trying to remember where we turned and which staircase we took. However, this task was particularly hard due to all of the talking pictures, enchanted suits of armor, and fellow students pointing at me and shouting things at me. A few comments stood out to me in particular:

"Hey _Hufflepuff_, are you lost?"

"See? I told you Americans are wimps."

"Wow; just wow."

In the end, I just gave up on trying to remember everything and was relieved when we reached the classroom.

"Are we allowed to pick our own seats?" I asked Robert.

"It depends on the teacher but for now just sit anywhere." I nodded and walked to the front of the room. I wanted to learn as much as I could so that hopefully, I could catch up and be able to do the normal curriculum. Attempting to learn five years worth of knowledge in one year would be difficult, but I was ready to accept the challenge.

"Hello," someone said sitting next to me. I turned to see a Gryffindor girl with brown hair, and emerald green eyes sitting next to me.

"Hi."

"I'm Phoenix," she smiled.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Lena."

"Don't be too worried about this class, it's not difficult if you pay attention."

"Thanks," I smiled.

As I was getting out my books and parchment, I saw Rose sit down at the desk next to mine. I caught her eye and waved. She smiled and waved back but seemed a bit annoyed. Maybe it was because someone was bothering her. I decided not to ask about it and finished setting up my things.

"Good morning, class! Settle down please!" Peeped a voice from the head of the classroom. There he was, tiny Professor Flitwick.

"You may keep the seats you have chosen for now, but if there are any problems I will change the seating arrangements as I see fit. Let's take attendance," he squeaked.

One by one he called out a name and a reply echoed back. I knew that when we got to my name there would be a big fuss over everything, I squirmed in my seat not really paying attention to any of the names being called. When he got to the last names beginning with "S" I fidgeted more. Finally,

"Oh! Let's not forget our new exchange student, Miss Lena Smith!" My cheeks flared crimson as I felt all eyes turn to me.

"Welcome to Hogwarts!" Professor smiled at me.

"Thank you," I replied.

"I see you've decided to sit in the front! Very smart! Maybe some of you should follow in Miss Smith's footsteps and move up a row?" I saw the Professor throw a glance to the far left o f the room, where the troublemakers must be. I shrank down in my seat even more.

"I hope your first day goes well!" He squeaked at me.

"Thank you Professor."

"Best move on with the lesson! Please open your text books to page one."

The lesson was mainly review and I was thankful for that because I needed all of the notes I could get. I noticed Rose had her hand up for every question and when the Professor called on her, her answers were thorough and right on the dot. _She should have been in Ravenclaw_, I thought to myself as I scribbled down her last answer.

Phoenix tried to explain everything to me as well, but it didn't all make sense. I thanked her for her time nonetheless. She always looked for a reason to talk to me, which I didn't mind but if I had too many classes with her sitting next to me I know I'd be lost.

The lecture ended and before I could even pull out my schedule Phoenix turned to me and said,

"We have the next class together! It's Herbology." I smiled politely and since I didn't know where anything was, followed somewhat sulkily.

When we arrived at the Greenhouses, a young man was standing outside waiting for us. He had a long face and brown hair and wore a ragged apron and worn out boots.

"G-good Morning, everyone! Welcome to Herbology. My name is Professor Longbottom and I will be your teacher this year." He wrung his hands nervously before continuing.

"We are going to be in House 1 today-" there were a bunch of groans from the other students "-for a quick review." We all followed the Professor to the first house and stood inside.

"Please break up into groups of four," The professor instructed as he took his spot at the head of the green house. There was a tiny podium and moveable black board in the front of the room. The black board read "Welcome to Herbology" and had a few diagrams on it. The podium held a beaten up textbook, a quill, and a piece of parchment.

I didn't know where to go exactly, so I kind of just stood there. I didn't want to be with Phoenix but I didn't want to bother Rose either…

"Oh! We have one more student left over." I felt my face flush again.

"Does anyone have an opening in their group?"

"I do Professor." We both turned to see Rose sitting there with Chara and another Gryffindor boy I didn't know. I had totally forgotten about Chara! I felt awful.

"Perfect! Have a seat there, a-and let's begin!"

I sat down at the table awkwardly and took out a piece of parchment. I saw the Gryffindor boy look at me strangely but Rose and Chara said nothing. After 40 minutes of the Professor talking he let us have 10 minutes to ourselves to get packed up and talk.

"Thanks for letting me sit at your table," I said to the group.

"It's no big deal," Chara said.

"Let me introduce you to Christopher," Rose said.

"Hi Christopher," I smiled politely.

"Hey."

"He's the Gryffindor Keeper," Rose went on further.

"Oh okay awesome!" I never talked to a Quidditch player before!

"Ha ha thanks," he was probably laughing at how I got excited about Quidditch.

"What do you have next?" Rose asked me.

"I have Defense Against the Dark Arts," I replied.

"I have History of Magic."

"Don't worry, I'll show you where the classroom is," Chara said.

"Okay, thanks," I smiled gratefully. "Well... see you around?" I said to Rose.

"Yes, see you later." With that Chara and I walked towards the castle.

"So what do you think of Hogwarts so far?"

"It's not that bad."

"I bet it must be hard for you."

"It is but if this is a part of what I am then I am willing to push myself."

"That's cool that you have so much determination."

"Thanks!" I smiled.

"Okay so this is our fifth Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"Oh my."

"Yes, oh my would be the correct terminology."

"Who is it?"

"It's some guy from Whitby. He's okay, but we've had better."

"Oh okay."

"Yeah."

We walked into the classroom and saw a man standing at the front of the classroom. "If you could all just stand against the wall. Hufflepuffs on one side Slytherins on the other."

"Oh God," Chara sighed.

"What?"

"He's going to pair up the Hufflepuffs with Slytherins."

"No."

"Yeah." I felt all of the blood drain out of my face. Albus was a Slytherin. That boy who scared me this morning was a Slytherin. _Oh God is right.  
_

"There we go! That's perfect! I'm Professor Hapburg and I will be your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year.

"I believe that when you are placed in a different setting other than the ones you are used to, your senses are more alert so I am going to, hopefully, place each of you next to someone you don't know or aren't close with. Having your wits about you is the most important thing when defending yourself against someone, or something. Plus, it will help you to know your fellow classmates better.

"So umm…. you there! What is your name?" He pointed to the boy who so frightened me this morning.

"Scorpius." I turned my eyes away from him, afraid of what might happen if I met his gaze.

"Scorpius! Have a seat right there in the front. And you!" -he pointed to Chara- "Come and join him, please."

I saw Chara throw me one more glance before she took her seat. The look was one of absolute terror. I felt so bad for her.

Though he knew no better, the Professor had ended up paring everyone with the wrong people. Albus, Maia, Chase and two other Slytherin girls were left over.

"What's your name?" He pointed to a Slytherin girl with dark hair and dark eyes.

"Mirzam."

"Mirzam! Lovely name. Have a seat right there and you!" He pointed at Chase.

"Come and join her…" he paused to wait for Chase to say his name.

"Chase."

"Chase, okay!"

I took a deep breath. I was either stuck with the Slytherin girl or Albus. I didn't know who I would be more embarrassed in front of so I just silently prayed for the best outcome, whatever that would be.

"Next! You there!" He pointed at Maia.

"Maia."

"Maia! Have a seat and you!" he pointed at the Slytherin girl with blonde hair and green eyes.

"Hydra." Between her voice and the name itself, I couldn't help but shiver. She sounded like trouble, but her looks wouldn't tell you so. She was actually quite beautiful.

I looked over to Albus, and saw he was staring at the girl, not even noticing we were the last two people left. I guess he must fancy her. I felt my heart sink the tiniest bit. I knew I wasn't as pretty as she was, and that I was actually starting to fancy Albus myself. Even if I tried to deny it I knew it would be a false statement. He was just so handsome! But I could see them being such a pretty couple, Hydra and Albus and it made me feel so terrible about myself…

"So that leaves you two!" Professor Hapburg said waiting for our names.

"Albus," Albus answered, his face flushing the tiniest bit.

"Lena," I replied not getting as embarrassed and scared as last time.

"Very well! Albus and Lena! You both obviously know where to sit!" He turned and walked back to the podium. The poor Professor had basically started World War Three without even knowing it.

I sat down without saying anything to Albus. I knew he didn't like to talk much. On top of that, my self-consciousness had gotten the better of me and I felt the need to not let anyone see my face, for it couldn't possibly compare to Hydra's.

Like the other classes, we did a review and I was scratching away at my parchment the entire time. Albus, like Rose, seemed to be very knowledgeable of magic and when called on, answered the question clearly and thoroughly. Only then did it occur to me that Albus and Rose could be related. _Maybe I will ask them later…_

The class ended and I tried to pack up as fast as I could. However, as I was packing a few of my books fell into the aisle. Before I, or anyone else who knew me could help me, Scorpius, who was already heading towards the door, reached me first. He didn't bend over to help, or give a smile. Instead, he gave me the same intense look identical to the one he gave me earlier. I blushed and muttered apologies as I picked them up as fast as I could. Before I could even pick up the last book he stormed past me and out the doors followed by his two companions, Hydra, and Mirzam.

I left before anyone could say anything to me and followed behind another Hufflepuff boy who I believed was Robert, but I couldn't be sure. Either way we got to class before the teacher had. I went straight to the front of the classroom and sat down by myself.

The classroom was quiet for a good 2 minutes before I heard the Ravenclaws approaching. I knew it was them because I didn't recognize any of the voices that echoed off the walls. Suddenly, I heard the footsteps quicken and out of nowhere there was a mad dash to get the seats in the front. Two boys actually almost got into a verbal argument over it before the other stormed off to the second row. I barely suppressed a laugh, because they all looked so serious about getting the seat in the front. _Well, I guess that's life when you live with nerds_, I thought to myself.

Next to me was one of the boys I had met on the train. I believe his name was Connor. He turned to me out of breath and nodded politely, acknowledging my presence. I smiled in return. Once all of the hustle and bustle quieted down, I realized there was still no teacher here.

I tapped Connor on the shoulder,

"Um, where is the teacher? Aren't they supposed to be here by-" I was suddenly cut off by a ghost walking through the chalkboard. I gasped in shock. Connor and a few other students near me chuckled. Then I remembered that History of Magic was taught by a ghost named Professor Binns, and relaxed a little.

Unlike the other classes, he jumped straight into the lesson and began teaching. Also unlike the other classes, this class was terribly boring and dry. Back home, my History teacher was the best! I learned and remembered everything and I had a 99 average because of it. And also to my horror, we got a homework assignment! _On the first day?_ I almost fainted: 17 & ½ inches of parchment, lengthwise, in writing about today's lesson.

**Fast-Forward to end of class

I had never felt so happy to leave a lecture in my entire life. Lunch would surely be much better than this last class…right?


End file.
